Sunrise Rotary July 27, 2017; Cascading Crime in our Region
President Dave called the meeting to order; Past President George Beitner led the Pledge to our Flag, and Past President Jack Anderson offered an invocation,
Guests and Visitors:
Ann Van Leer was a guest; informed about our Club by Rorie Johnston; Ann is the Executive Director of the Escondido Creek Conservancy…
Bonnie Maloney was again a guest of Linda Bailey; Bonnie will soon become a member of Escondido Sunrise… Great job Linda!
Birthdays:
July 23 Randy Bailey
26 Linda Bailey
31 Past President Mike Dunlap
Anniversaries:
July 31 Past President Barry Baker and Lee; celebrating 47 years of marriage, Congratulations!!
Rotary Anniversaries:
None this week…
Dates to Remember:
July: 30 Rotary game at the Padres vs. the Pirates
August: 20 Softball game with the Calafia Rotary Club of Mexicali in Pine Valley
31 District Governor Scott Carr will visit our Club
October: 7 Escondido Sunrise Grape Day 5K Event; 72 days away
Hi-Fives and Announcements:
John Sawtelle reported back from the Bonsall Rotary Club regarding our participation in ticket sales for the “Wine Brews and Blues” event held in June. John presented President Dave with a check for $1,460.00.
Past President Barry Baker returned from a trip to Beaver Utah; a family celebration with five generations of Bakers participating… Barry presented President Dave with a “Pioneer Marble Game”… Something to keep our Prez busy as he tries to keep from loosing his marbles during his term as our leader…
Past President Alan Miller returned from three weeks of travel visiting France, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Germany among other countries… He brought the Prez a beer stein from Munich and some liquor from “Titisee” … I’m sure President Dave will enjoy!
Ralph Tavares was recently in Hawaii and Kentucky; he brought President Dave an “almost six pack” of Hawaiian beer (unfortunately for Dave it was cold at one point and Ralph enjoyed some on the trip home) and some Maker’s Mark from Kentucky
Past President Jim Ponder returned from varied travels throughout the country; from Mammoth, he brought President Dave some “395” brew, from Malta, NY, he brought a beautiful magnet, and from Sun Valley, Idaho,a bottle opener and Tee Shirt, all transported in a valuable “10 cent” shopping bag…
President Dave is pictured with all the tribute presented to him today…
Program:
Past President George Beitner introduced SGT Ryan Opeka from the Carlsbad Police Department. Ryan, a US Marine Corps veteran has an extensive and varied career in law enforcement and his topic is the “cascading crime” situation in North County.
He spoke about recent legislation in California intended to reduce prison population; thus sending residents into our communities that are not ready for life back in a ‘normal’ setting.
Ryan related his comments to a TED Talk related to the re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park. The eco-society had become accustomed to very few wolves and things had changed; as wolves were re-introduced, the eco system changed significantly. Likewise, communities and law enforcement in particular have had to change to deal with the influx of people with criminal backgrounds ‘re-populating’ our communities.
Ryan noted that in Carlsbad, calls for service had increased while officer-initiated calls had declined… simply stated, officers are busier responding to problems raised by community members than spending time resolving issues and initiating solutions through ‘active policing’. Along with the call volume noted above, the crime rate indices showed marked increases.
Some of the measures Carlsbad has implemented to deal with the influx of criminal activity include: A crime suppression team focusing on proactive policing, and a homeless outreach effort cooperating with other community organizations. Additionally, Carlsbad had increased training for officers in psychological response challenges, and have added a full time Psychological Emergency Response Team (PERT) professional to support officers as they deal with many criminal responses wherein substance abuse and other psychological issues are the root of the criminal problems.
Preliminary indications are the their efforts are slowing the growth of crime… He acknowledged that change takes time; however he shared with us the view that “small purposeful actions have a lasting impact.”
SGT Ryan Opeka with President Dave and Past President George Beitner…
Next Week’s Program:
Escondido Education Foundation
Opportunity Drawing:
Lunch Money: $18.00 Past President John Boyce
Big Pot: $526.00 Past President Jeff Johnson; Sorry!!